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Stan’s Hut

Stan’s Hut
Free for use of SCINZ members. For non-members a daily charge applies.

Stan’s Hut owes its existence to former Westland hunting concession holder and foundation member, Stan Peterson. Originally operating out of a tent camp Stan was quick to realise how much more suitable it would be to accommodate his clients in a comfortable, basic hut in the high rainfall, Whataroa Valley. He duly applied for and was granted permission to locate a hut high on the Spencer range in 1985.

As Stan’s guiding days came to a close he was hardly ever using the hut so he decided to gift it to SCI(NZ). As hut restorer and custodian, Gary Mullings comments, “This is where I became involved.”

At the end of winter a few months later, armed with new trusses made in our garage, a new steel tray roof, sheets of 20mm ply, some new insulation, a pile of wood and all we thought we would need, we returned and met James Scott and his trusty helicopter at the pick-up point alongside the river. The first trip comprised of myself and a heap of stuff in the back and a sling load of gear hanging underneath.

The trip in seemed to take forever, which was understandable, as we were very heavy. Just to complicate things there was snow everywhere and the hut was a hell of a mess. Two trips later with my son Lee-Roy and his mate Garry Hall we had all the gear in and it was just on dark so we settled in. But conditions were so bad we had to sleep on our survival blankets on the mattresses as they were so wet.

Next day we took the roof off, put new trusses on, followed by the ply and then the tray roof. We also added a small extension as a dry room and dried the whole thing out. What a difference!

Since then SCI(NZ) and DOC have made an arrangement for retention of the hut. Dave Waters from DOC Franz Josef has been a huge help. We cannot thank James Scott enough. He did not charge for any helicopter time. Thanks too for the input from Lee-Roy and Garry Hall.

This hut has been a great base for hunts in the surrounding area. Some SCI(NZ) members have taken some notable chamois trophies especially from the rugged and magnificent terrain nearby.

SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL New Zealand Chapter

About Us

The New Zealand Chapter consists of New Zealanders who are conservation minded with a passion for hunting, and share a concern about the survival and management of New Zealand’s large game animals. Our Chapter members would all like to see our Grandchildren and their future generations have the ability to also enjoy the opportunity to hunt New Zealand the way we know it today.